If you hold SOL or a Solana liquid staking token (LST) like mSOL, JitoSOL, bSOL, or INF, chances are you’re already earning regular staking rewards. But what if you could keep earning those rewards and put your tokens to work securing other projects on Solana, all without locking them away?
That’s exactly what @Solayer is designed for. It’s a restaking and liquid restaking protocol built on Solana that lets you stake your SOL or LSTs, keep your liquidity, and earn extra rewards by supporting Actively Validated Services (AVSs), basically Solana-based apps and services that need additional security and blockspace.
How Solayer Works – In Simple Terms
Here’s the basic flow:
1. You deposit SOL or an approved LST into Solayer.
2. The protocol stakes it with high-performance Solana validators.
3. You get a liquid token back — sSOL for SOL deposits, or an LRT version for LSTs.
4. You can hold, trade, or use that token in DeFi while it keeps earning your base staking rewards.
5. At the same time, Solayer can restake your deposit to help secure Solana dApps (AVSs). Those apps give you extra rewards for your support.
So, you’re earning from two sources:
Base staking yield (the normal Solana staking APY, plus MEV rewards from top validators)
Additional AVS yield (rewards given by the app or service you’re helping secure)
The best part? You don’t lose flexibility. You can withdraw your stake whenever you want, with only a short unbonding period if the AVS you’re supporting requires it.
Why Solayer Matters for Solana
Solayer’s model benefits everyone in the ecosystem:
For Developers: Apps can secure dedicated blockspace and faster transaction inclusion, especially during high-traffic times.
For Validators: They get more stake and more MEV opportunities, boosting their earnings.
For Stakers: Higher yields without extra complexity — you just deposit and choose where to delegate.
For the Network: Stake is spread to where it’s most needed, improving overall speed, security, and stability.
In a way, Solayer creates a shared security marketplace. It takes Solana’s already strong staking base and makes it even more productive.
The Role of AVSs (Actively Validated Services)
Think of AVSs as specialized services that benefit from more validator power. This could be a DeFi protocol, a high-traffic gaming app, or a data service that needs fast, reliable processing.
When you delegate your stake to an AVS via Solayer:
That AVS gets priority in sending transactions to block producers.
You keep your token liquid.
You earn both normal staking rewards and the AVS’s incentives.
Some early examples include SonicSVM (a gaming-focused Solana rollup) and integrations with providers like HashKey Cloud.
What You Can Stake
Solayer supports:
SOL (the native token)
LSTs like Marinade’s mSOL, Jito’s JitoSOL, BlazeStake’s bSOL, and Sanctum/Infinity’s INF.
When you stake through Solayer:
SOL becomes sSOL.
LSTs become Solayer restaked tokens (earning their base yield plus Solayer rewards).
No long lockups — just short AVS-specific unbonding if needed.
Tokenomics – The $LAYER Token
Solayer’s native token is $LAYER.
Total supply: 1 billion
Initial circulation: 220 million
Community & ecosystem: Over half the supply, including a 12% Genesis Airdrop for early users.
The Genesis Airdrop (Feb 2025) rewards stakers, AVS delegators, and liquidity providers who’ve supported the platform. $LAYER starts as a governance token, with plans for bigger utility, potentially being used for validation or even gas fees on Solayer’s own high-speed network in the future.
Security and Transparency
Solayer runs on audited smart contracts and regularly undergoes code reviews.
Assets stay in your control.
AVSs can set short unbonding windows (max 2 days).
Emergency exits are possible if an AVS fails.
Their validator set is hand-picked for performance and reliability, and they even run their own MEV-optimized nodes to maximize yields.
What’s Next for Solayer
The team behind Solayer isn’t stopping at restaking. Upcoming milestones include:
Launching InfiniSVM, a hardware-accelerated Solana chain aiming for massive transaction throughput.
Expanding the AVS marketplace to cover more Solana-native apps.
Growing integrations with CEXs (like Bitget’s BGSOL) and DeFi platforms.
Rolling out more LST and token support.
With its combination of higher yields, liquidity, and ecosystem growth, Solayer is shaping up to be one of the most important infrastructure layers in Solana’s next chapter.